AV Helpdesk
Facilitating Seamless Communications

Deploying and maintaining consistent, high-quality audiovisual (AV) collaboration tools across an organization is a daunting task. From identifying the appropriate technology, to selecting specific manufacturers and products, it is not advisable to act solely on the opinions of the vendor profiting from the sale. It is imperative to have an experienced and unbiased advocate while evaluating needs and determining the right solutions. AV Helpdesk (AVH), an audiovisual consulting firm headquartered in Boston, is one such advocate. For almost fifteen years they have provided organizations with the knowledge and experience needed to successfully incorporate modern collaboration technology into their existing operations. “Most of our new clients come to us with a reactive approach to collaborative technology. They think about it only when confronted with a project. Instead of looking at collaborative technology in a holistic manner, each project is an island. As a result, the introduction of new technology is typically not consistent or well planned,” remarks Steve Grace, President of AV Helpdesk, who brings over 28 years of AV industry experience. “By helping our clients develop intuitive and reliable technology standards and implementing a regimented process for deployment, we can overcome the most common barriers to collaborative technology adoption.”

From conception, AV Helpdesk has been a thought leader in AV. Founded on the belief that there was a better approach to AV consulting, they developed a unique business model to address some key problems of current industry practices. The foundation of this approach is two parts: maintaining control over projects from start to finish, and taking responsibility for all intellectual services. “Steve and I worked together on the contractor side of the business for many years and were constantly frustrated with the status quo,” comments Collin Hogan, Vice President of AVH. “We finally put our concepts to the test in 2003 and the benefits were immediate. Both clients and contractors get a more streamlined process and better results.”

One of the biggest frustrations when implementing collaborative technology across multiple locations is standardization.

In the traditional AV procurement model, the local AV contractor provides most of the intellectual services including system design, equipment selection, technical drawings and control system programming. This approach results in substantial variation in end user experience and limits the ability of the client to manage the assets and support the systems. “One of the major differentiators between AVH and the competition is our engineering focus. We identify the exact equipment to be used and create build-ready documents that can be implemented in any location and with minimal divergence,” says Grace.

Our process takes the frustration out of collaboration

Last year AV Helpdesk completed a four-year project for Novartis in Shanghai, China. The client tasked the company with applying design standards that it had developed for their U.S. locations to the new Shanghai campus. The project consisted of seven mixed-use office and laboratory buildings. The company’s comprehensive model of providing the entire suit of intellectual services was a perfect fit. The local Chinese vendor only had to procure the equipment and install it based on the supplied drawings. The project was a success, and the client maintained key standards of functionality for their systems in China, ensuring seamless interoperability with their existing resources in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Through this top-down approach to AV standards, AV Helpdesk is giving its clients the tools they need to communicate seamlessly around the world. By taking ownership of the process from beginning to end, they are empowering them to use those tools effectively.